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Opinion | Features
Disclosure in Social Media: How transparent should bloggers be?
In this guest post, blogger and digital creative Laura McWhinnie argues for more disclosure in the bloggersphere.
The bloggersphere has always been a bit like the Wild West. Bloggers could post about products to their heart’s content without having to disclose their relationship with the brand. This meant that consumers had no idea who was behind the marketing messages influencing their purchasing decisions. But in 2009 that all changed
Liars, cheats and thieves
Is our industry full of cheats and liars or do people of honour who stand by their word still exist in business? In an article that first appeared in Encore, Cameron Boon investigates. The recent court case involving Paul Fishlock suing his former employer The Campaign Palace brought into focus more than just the struggle of one man. It highlighted that there are some in adland whose word cannot always be relied upon.
Q&A with Adshel's Rob Atkinson
Online trading is the next big thing says Rob Atkinson in a piece that first appeared in Encore. Who is the most powerful person in Australian media and why?
Harold Mitchell because of his influence and the footprint he has left. He’s built a huge brand in Mitchells, offloaded it into Aegis, Aegis has obviously done extremely well to be then sold on to Dentsu. So if you think about it, he is very much a father figure of the industry.
Making it overseas
Is the best way of being successful in Australia not be here at all? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Lee Zachariah speaks to Aussies making it big abroad.I always wanted to work in New York,” says Julian Cole. “I thought it was the number one place to work in advertising; a lot of the best campaigns were coming out of there. So I moved over and was lucky enough to have a couple of interviews in the first couple of weeks.”
Cole’s story is indicative of the somewhat contentious idea that the best way to be successful in Australia is to not be in Australia any more.
Got a book in you?
From journos to ad execs and PRs, these days everyone seems to have a book in them. But what does it take to get published and will you actually make any money? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Brooke Hemphill finds out.Attention wannabe authors. Forget big fat advance cheques and living off royalties. The reality of having a book published today is another story altogether. There are only two reasons you should even consider sitting down at your computer to bash out a manuscript – passion or profile.
Savage counsel
In an article that first appeared in Encore, Chris Savage tackles your career and agency dilemmas in his weekly advice column.Hi Chris,
My clients seem to be demanding more and more from us. At the same time, it seems many of the younger people in our industry simply don’t have the client servicing skills my generation grew up with. How do we instill in our executives some of the good old-fashioned behaviours that would keep a client happy and loyal?
Fake it til' you make it... as an ad agency receptionist
From dressing the part to playing the gatekeeper, Leo Burnett Sydney’s Susie Henry tells us how to make it as the face of adland in a piece that first appeared in Encore.What does a receptionist in an ad agency actually do?
Well, there’s the frantic every-day, all-day stuff of deliveries, courier bookings, doing expenses for directors – always challenging – plus arranging all the travel. But one of my main jobs is counselling the account service people. I also keep up with all sports information to discuss with our sports-loving clients – because who wants to be bored while they’re waiting? And I know how they like their coffee. You need to know everyone – from accounting to HR. I’m also the go-to for all catering and sending flowers.
Whose views skew the news? Media chiefs ready to vote out Labor, while reporters lean left
Most journalists lean left-of-centre, says Folker Hanusch of the University of the Sunshine Coast, in a post first published on The Conversation.Most Australian journalists describe themselves as left-wing, yet amongst those who wield the real power in the country’s newsrooms, the Coalition holds a winning lead.
But while the media’s political leanings will no doubt be debated in the lead-up to September’s federal election, our study has also found other largely unscrutinised biases remain – particularly whose views disproportionately shape the news.
It's time for a new New Wave in the film world
Government funding bodies are lazy and decadent, says industry veteran Michael Thornhill but in a piece that first appeared in Encore, Ed Gibbs begs to differ.I vividly remember the time I first saw Animal Kingdom, David Michod’s breathtaking labour-of-love feature debut. The press screening was half empty, despite the film winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance just months earlier, in 2010. Yet its superb performances, stylistic flourishes and overall polish left me speechless. Could this really be a feature debut, an Australian one at that, I wondered, almost out loud? It seemed too good to be true.
Going cold turkey on an agency addiction
Life is sweet for freelance writer Max Kitchen, but in a feature that first appeared in Encore, he admits his struggle against returning to the agency fold.I’ve never taken heroin. But I suspect if I had, the temptation to try it again would not be too dissimilar to the lure of returning to agency life.
Can sport save Ten?
First there was the Grand Prix. Next came the reported $500m bid for cricket rights, then Ten secured the 2014 winter Olympics. So, can sport save the ailing network? In a feature that first appeared in Encore, Nic Christensen investigates.The television sports rights bidding process is a bit like a game of poker.
Check, fold or bet. Those were the options for the Ten Network last week when it had to finalise its bid for the cricket rights.
Andy Lark: good for the marketing of marketing
I can still remember the first story I wrote about Andy Lark, when it emerged that he was to be the new chief marketing officer of CommBank.
It was immediately clear that Australia was about to meet an interesting marketer, one who blogged and tweeted and thanks to his time at Dell in the US was digitally savvy. Even two years ago, that was a big deal. The fact that he also had a stint in public relations gave him an absolutely intriguing background before he even arrived.
Storming the media barricades - advice for young journalists
This week Mumbrella’s Nic Christensen, who began his career four years ago, gave the keynote address to would-be journalists at the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance’s Student Day. This is an edited version of his speech.Good afternoon, I can remember distinctly the last time I was in this room.
It was 2009 and I was sitting where you are. I’d come to this event, a friend and myself — from memory we sat up the back — and I can remember at the time wondering if I’d ever get a job as a journalist.
It was only four years ago and then as now getting a job was ultra competitive but I’m not sure there was quite as much media ‘doom and gloom’ as there is now…
Paywalls will help fund campaigning journalism
In this guest post, News Limited’s group editorial director Campbell Reid responds to the views of ninemsn’s Hal Crawford that the company’s push into metered paywalls is about data rather than dollars.Hal Crawford is both right and wrong in his article which argued that our digital subscription plans are all about the data.
Fake it 'til you make it... as a features editor
Cosmo’s Kate Leaver tells us how to bluff it in her job in a feature that first appeared in Encore.What do you do, as a features editor?
Really, play with words and ideas all day. At any one time, we’re working across three issues of the mag – getting one on its way to the printers, pooling all the words together for another, and planning the issue after that. It’s busy but it’s a pretty magnificent process.
BMF tops Mumbrella creative agency study
BMF has come out on top of the inaugural Mumbrella Creative Agency Performance and Perception Study, as revealed at Mumbrella360 this morning.
From a field of Australia’s top 30 agencies, an expert panel and Mumbrella’s readership gave the Photon-owned agency the highest overall score – 78.9 out of 100 across 10 assessment criteria.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne came second, with an overall score of 75.78. Third was Host – the highest ranked independent agency – followed by Droga5 and The Monkeys.
BMF top scored in six of the 10 criteria – creativity, effectiveness, integration, talent, planning and impact on the industry.
Clems Melbourne rated highest in three criteria: commercial success, account management and client stability.
The Monkeys rated as the agency with the most momentum.
Panelists David Thomason, 12 years the head of marketing at Meat & Livestock Australia, where he worked with agencies BMF and The Campaign Palace, and recruitment agent Nick Williams of Williams International, talked about the results and what they think makes a great creative agency:
Victoria University: ‘ability to employability’
Melbourne’s Victoria University has launched a brand refresh campaign that introduces the line “ability becomes employability”. The ads, created by agency of five years Sapient Nitro, use feathers and wings to represent the opportunities students get at the university.
Today eclipses Sunrise again in Monday ratings
Today is proving that beating Sunrise is more than a one-off, with the Nine breakfast show again trumping its rival on Seven. Today pulled in 20,000 more viewers than Sunrise on Monday, according to preliminary overnight figures from OzTam.
Masterchef trumped its season’s best again, pulling 1.637m viewers. It did while Nine’s Come Fly With Me slipped again, down from 1.252m last week to 1.151m last night. Seven’s The Amazing Race Australia held steady, with 1.165m compared to 1.135m last Monday.
Peugeot picks on unscrupulous ‘down the road’ mechanics
Newly relaunched agency Arnold Furnace has launched a new campaign for carmaker Peugeot, which picks on drivers who take their car to a local mechanic instead of an authorised after sales service centre.
The ads, which promote a new servicing scheme designed to avoid nasty surprises for customers, is based on the the consumer insight that people often feel like they’re at the mercy of unreliable mechanics, who insist on doing unnecessary and uncalled for work.
The Australian to introduce pay wall by October
News Ltd has revealed long-awaited plans to charge for its online news content, with The Australian to introduce a pay wall for its web properties by October.
News Digital Media’s boss Richard Freudenstein told delegates at Mumbrella360 today that The Australian would introduce a ‘freemium’ model similar to that of The Wall Street Journal, which has more than 1m digital subscribers.
Some content will remain free to attract big audiences, who will then pay to access premium content. ”This also allows us to continue to sell advertising to a mass market,” he said.
There will be “no set rule” for how much content would be free, which would be left to the discretion of section editors.
Mumbo Report: KFC has you hearing voices, Woolies wine discount, Target spends big, Honda’s still got seats
In this episode of The Mumbo Report, we count down the week’s most played ads:
- KFC will have you hearing voices; Woolworths offer wine discounts; it’s merchandise and sales at Target while Honda’s still banging on about their seats.
Andrew Denton on the Kit Denton Disfellowship
Andrew Denton, in conjunction with the Australian Writers Guild, has launched the Kit Denton Disfellowship, a $30,000 grant for a challenging idea written for screen production.
Previously known as the Kit Denton Fellowship, the competition is being relaunched as a Disfellowship, because winning it may mean that “your nan disowns you, your neighbours shun you and the shock jocks call for you to be locked up”.
Fisherman’s Friend swaps TV for sampling
Fisherman’s Friend has put TV advertising on the backburner as it opts for an experiential sampling approach to shifting packets of its strong-flavoured lollies this winter.
The brand, which is imported by Stuart Alexander in Australia and New Zealand, is looking to drive down the age of people who buy the brand, targeting 30-somethings with a sampling push that asks men to choose between its ‘fresh’ or ‘feisty’ flavours.
Consumers will be able to interact with the ‘Fisherwomen’, characters similar to the one seen in a recent TV commercial in which a woman in a fisherman’s smock slaps in the face with a fish a man who has just eaten his first Fisherman’s Friend lozenge.
The sampling activity will be executed by Naked Communications.
Ben Couzens and Jim Ingram quit Patts to join Clems Melbourne
Ben Couzens
Jim Ingram
Creative directors Ben Couzens and Jim Ingram are leaving GPY&R Melbourne to joins Clemenger BBDO Melbourne.
The creative duo’s portfolio includes campaigns such as Schweppes ‘Burst’, VB ‘Symphony’, Cadbury ‘It’s no Picnic’ and Defence Force Recruiting campaigns.
GPY&R in now on the hunt for replacements.
VW goes ‘environ-normal’ for Golf BlueMotion launch
To promote the launch of the Golf BlueMotion, Volkswagen launched a campaign to coincide with World Environment Day, introducing the line “Why be environ-mental when you can be enviro-normal?”
Created by DDB Sydney, the campaign for the fuel-efficient car will run in press, digital, out-of-home and a series of infomercials broadcast on the web.
Different executions bring to life environ-‘mental’ products, such as the Yumbrella, a contraption designed to avoid having to buy bottled water.
BWM confirmed as lead agency for Kmart
Ad agency Belgiovane Williams Mackay has been confirmed as lead creative agency for Kmart after a pitch against incumbent Sapient Nitro.
The business goes to BWM’s Melbourne office. The agency was initially appointed to manage the creative for Kmart’s customer engagement program in March this year but will now take on the entire creative account with a new campaign already in production. Read more »
NAB’s breakup mastermind Sandra de Castro promoted to CMO
One of the masterminds of NAB’s much talked about Break-Up campaign has been rewarded with the company’s top marketing job.
Sandra de Castro has been named chief marketing officer of NAB after acting up in the role since last October when the position was created.
The campaign launched in February with NAB executing a series of stunts to demonstrate that it was breaking up with the country’s other big banks. Read more »
RSPCA pressures Julia Gillard to ban live exports
RSPCA and Animals Australia have launched a joint campaign to pressure prime minister Julie Gillard into banning live animal exports to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The TV and radios ads were created by Loud.
Downton Abbey another winner for Seven
Downton Abbey stayed strong on its second outing for Seven on Sunday night delivering an average audience of just under 1.9m.
Following Downton Abbey’s 1.872m, was another Seven show with Dancing With The Stars delivering 1.541m according to preliminary overnight metro ratings from OzTam.
Ten’s Masterchef delivered 1.445m.
Nine’s best performer was Nine news with 1.499m. Read more »
The Apprentice set to return as Fremantle strikes deal with Mark Burnett
Fremantle Media has struck a deal with the Mark Burnett-owned production company One Three Television Today to bring Burnett’s shows to Australia and New Zealand.
This could mean a return of The Apprentice, Survivor and Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? and the introduction of Shark Tank and Expedition Impossible.
Supre ad banned for sexualising tweens
An ad for tween clothing brand Supre, which ran in print, in stores and on the back of buses, has fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Bureau for sexualising young people.
The ad used a young topless model to promote ‘jeggings’, a cross between jeans and leggings, and was slammed for inappropriately targeting young women.
Despite the advertiser challenging the ASB, stating that although “a sexy image”, it did not breach any form of discrimination or vilification towards women, the ads have been taken down.
Sean Cummins: Hate comment on industry blogs made me think about topping myself
High profile creative Sean Cummins has said that he contemplated suicide and turned to drink over malicious comments made about him on industry blogs.
In an interview with today’s edition of the Weekend Australian Magazine, Cummins – who now heads up Cummins Ross – says he became a target after the multi-award winning Best Job In The World campaign for Tourism Queensland. The campaign by his previous agency Cummins Nitro became one of the most internationally awarded of all time.
Cummins said in the article: “That was when the vitriol started pouring in, all anonymous, on industry blogs. Everything from ‘he’s a bastard to work for’ to suggestions that I hadn’t done the work I’d claimed credit for, to jibes about my personal life and my profile photo.” Read more »
Keynote-only passes for Mumbrella360 go on sale after tickets for full program sell out
Two-day passes to next week’s Mumbrella360 conference have now sold out. As a result Mumbrella has put a limited number of keynote and exhibition-only passes on sale.
The decision to close sales early came after the number of participants hit 740 – well over Mumbrella’s initial target of 600.
However, Mumbrella is now able to make a limited number of $80 tickets available that give access to the Mumbrella360 exhibition area and the morning keynote session.
There are 80 tickets remaining for the Tuesday and 120 for Wednesday
Tuesday’s session begins with a keynote presentation from Richard Freudenstein, CEO of The Australian and News Digital Media. Given his seniority at News Ltd, it is almost certain he will talk about the latest on News’ paid content plans. Tuesday’s keynote pass will also include the opening round of Battle of the Media. This sees Rob Belgiovane, executive creative director, of BWM representing cinema pitted against Mark Shaw, GM of Sensis Digital Media arguing for online. Mike Chuter, founding partner, of Cubed will then argue for direct mail against Brian Gallagher, CEO, of Ignite Media Brands championing TV.
Wednesday morning’s keynote features one of the first public appearances by Peter Boone since he was appointed VP of marketing for Unilever Australasia. He will be interviewed on stage by Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes.
The keynote pass also includes the first findings being revealed from MCAPPS – the Mumbrella Creative Agency Perceptions & Performance Study. The session will see Mumbrella deputy editor Robin Hicks reveal the scores achieved by each of the 30 agencies. They are listed here.
Tickets for both day’s keynotes are available via the Mumbrella360 website.
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